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SONY ERICSSON OPENMarch 26, 2012Victoria AzarenkaMIAMI, FLORIDA V. AZARENKA/D. Cibulkova THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. Q. You had the biggest scare of your streak so far there. What were you thinking when you were down 6‑1, 4‑Love? VICTORIA AZARENKA: Definitely wasn't thinking about the streak, that's for sure. (Smiling.) I don't know. I mean, I have to give all the credit to her, you know, because she played some splendid tennis, just amazing, you know. She was hitting every possible line there was. You know, every net that there was it was going in; mine was everything was going out. So it kinda felt like she closed her eyes and just went for everything, and me, I couldn't just really open my eyes. It was just ‑‑I was like blinded a little bit. But my coach came to the court, kicked me a little bit that I have to at least try to change something, because I was just ‑‑it was like a snowball. I was keep rolling in the same‑‑ with the same match and I didn't really adjust. In the end I just tried to change something, you know. But it was more about, you know, fighting in my heart today than any other shot pretty much. Q. I know you almost never call your coach on court. What was it about today that made you think that you needed him? VICTORIA AZARENKA: Yeah, I don't like to call him, because, you know, you have to figure out yourself, you know. But I really needed a little bit of extra motivation today, because was a little bit difficult for me, you know, to keep going. And playing the way I play and, you know, nonstop, is difficult. So today I felt like I needed a little bit extra motivation and a little bit to pump me up. That's it. There was no really anything magical he told me. He just said, Go ahead and try to fight, you know. That's it. Q. Was there a particular turning point in the second set where you felt like your game started coming back to you, where you felt a lot more comfortable? VICTORIA AZARENKA: You know what? I wasn't really looking that way like that. I was just trying to stay in the moment and trying to take it one at a time because I was almost gone, you know. I just tried to not think about the score. Just, you know, tried to focus on my shots instead of points and instead of anything else. Just really tried to execute my shots, because today wasn't really going my way. So that was important to just stay focused and play in the moment. Q. So often in those games after someone's had the lead and then lost it, the third set is quite often over very quite quickly. But she never gave up at all, did she? VICTORIA AZARENKA: Oh, not at all. You know, I felt like she was playing much better when she was down after than when she was up. Even on the tiebreak when it was 6 3‑up, she just went for crazy shots around and just hit the, you know, corners. With her you never feel like you have rhythm. She goes for everything, absolutely everything. It was difficult to kinda feel like you're back in the match and then you're not back in the match, because she never really gives you rhythm and that feel that, you know, you have control. So it was difficult. But in the third set she fought really hard, and I knew she was gonna fight really hard. I just tried to, you know, stay with her and, you know, take it one at a time. Q. How proud are you for what you were able to do today? VICTORIA AZARENKA: Well, you know, I'm proud the way I fought. With my game I don't think I'm really pleased today, but it doesn't really matter. The win is the win, you know. It doesn't matter how it came. The most important is that I found the resources, I don't know, the something to win that match. So that's the most important today. Q. You face Bartoli next. Similar sort of flat, aggressive player. What are your thoughts on playing her? VICTORIA AZARENKA: Um, yeah, I would say so. But still very different, you know. Marion is a great player and she's a great fighter. I know we had so many matches already and we had a lot of tough battles, so there is gonna be another tough one, for sure. Because she's gonna be really motivated, I'm sure, as I'm gonna be the same way. But, you know, I'm looking forward. Like today I really felt like, um, somebody just came and had absolutely nothing to lose and she just went for everything. So, you know, that's something I'm gonna have to face probably every single time, you know. It's in a way a good problem to have, but in another way a tougher task. Q. You had a match I think similar to this at Indian Wells last week where you really had to crawl back into the match and you were down. Does pulling out matches like that and like this, how much more confidence does it give you to know you could be down, you know, way down, and to be able to pull kind of this kind of match out? VICTORIA AZARENKA: Ah, well, the match before, last week, I was actually up, so I just really put myself in trouble on that one. Today I wasn't up at all; it was different. But the match like this just gives you a little bit of understanding that, you know, no matter what, you still have a chance. So you just have to keep fighting until they call it game, set, match, you know. So confidence? I don't know about that. But definitely a lot of self‑belief and self‑satisfaction. Q. Couple days ago you said at the press conference you don't like to use the word "confidence," because sometimes confidence is overrated. Could you talk a little bit about that? VICTORIA AZARENKA: Well, you said it all. I mean, I feel like it's just invisible thing that everybody keeps calling, you know, that, I don't know, something magical, you know, that, oh, my God, he or she plays with confidence and it brings her wins. It's absolutely not true, because behind that there is a lot of hard work. There's daily working on your nerves, and I'm sure everybody when they go out there, doesn't matter how confident you are or not confident, everybody experience those nerves, those adrenaline coming. So what's really that word, "confidence"?  How can you describe it? So that's what I think. But it's my opinion, you know. Maybe somebody else thinks it's magical. It's just ‑‑that's what I think. Q. You mentioned earlier that you have a target on your back, that players approach playing you differently now than before. VICTORIA AZARENKA: Yeah, for sure. I feel that way since last week already, you know. But I think everybody who is No. 1, anybody who is dominating or, you know, like, for example, somebody goes to play against, I don't know, Sharapova, Serena, any other great champions, that, you know, they feel like they have nothing to lose. So, you know, that's something we all work hard for and we have to face it. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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